


approval

by DoctorFitzy (KittooningMalijah)



Series: Hauntober 2020 [25]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Hauntober, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, The Framework
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27190994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittooningMalijah/pseuds/DoctorFitzy
Summary: Deke recruits Fitz to help him work on a new game, and they have an important conversation.
Relationships: Deke Shaw & Snowflake, Leo Fitz & Deke Shaw, Trevor Khan/Deke Shaw
Series: Hauntober 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948561
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	approval

**Author's Note:**

> for Hauntober day 25: "crystals"

The temple displayed on the screen in front of them was just a rough outline of the proposed map, but it didn't really matter how  _ complete _ the game was for a basic test run. The two people inside the game were running on the screen, ducking around a corner in the hallway to follow what had been laid out for them. So far, all of the game mechanics were working well, and the collectable piece that glowed in front of them looked realistic enough for a first run. There was plenty of time for them to fix everything before the idea even went remotely public, and the notes were quickly put into a file on a tablet so it could be forwarded to Deke for reference.

For the first time since the players went in, Clover left her dad's lap and padded over to sit between their visitor's feet. She brushed up against the trousered leg before settling, content to spend time with her newest friend while she had the chance.

As soon as he was done typing, he crouched down and gently scratched behind her ears, mumbling the quiet, accented words. "You're a sweetheart, aren't you? I should talk to Jemma about a cat, hmm? Then you can have a friend..." Fitz straightened up again, relaxing while he turned his attention back to the screen he was supposed to be watching. His grandson and Snowflake were close to getting the last barely rendered crystal piece and winning what they had so far of the game, and then they'd have quite a bit of work ahead of them to fine tune all of the little bugs that needed to be fixed.

He occupied himself making a few more notes until they woke up, using a stylus to sketch out a nicer image for the crystal pieces off to the side. It wasn't a pressing issue, and they never even really  _ had _ to finish the finer details if they didn't want to - no one outside of the company and a few select family members even knew this new game existed. If they changed their minds or the market changed, it was just something fun they could do in their spare time. 

"Oh, you  _ suck." _

"You're just grumpy because I beat you to the last crystal. I run faster than you, Deke."

"Bobo, did you screw with the mechanics again-? Oh.  _ Clover." _

At the sound of her name, she moved away from Fitz to rub against her dad's leg instead before climbing up into his lap with a happy purr. He was awake, which meant he was able to give her attention again, and she was willing to accept it without hesitation.

"Yeah, your  _ lucky charm _ wanted head scratches. That might have something to do with it, if you believe in that kind of thing." Fitz shook his head with a small smile, turning the tablet in his hands so it could be seen while he checked the time on his watch. "I'll just compress this and send it to you before I go. It's lunch time, which means I'm leaving you for food."

Snowflake bounced to her feet so she could move over and look at the tablet screen with wide eyes, shaking her head. "Or, you could just leave the fun SHIELD toy here, and I'll bring it back to base tomorrow morning."

"Hmm...  _ no. _ Nice try, though."

Deke held his cat in his arms while he stayed slouched in his bean bag chair, kissing her head softly with a smile. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch? Trevor's bringing leftovers from spaghetti night, and it's  _ pretty good." _

Rolling his eyes, Fitz closed the file on the tablet before tucking it under his arm. "I will pass, today, but maybe next time. If I leave right now, I can swing by the Lighthouse, drop this off, and still get back before naptime."

"So you're not leaving us for food, you're leaving us for my mother?"

"And your grandmother, if we're being technical, but yes. Be smart. Don't spend all day in the Framework. Eat your veggies, and all that."

Deke shook his head, getting up to follow him when he started to make his way to the door. "Wait, you're going to be at the party next weekend, right? I have to let Sequoia know how many people are coming so she can tell the caterer, and do all of her excessive planning stuff. I know most of the old crew can't come, and I know we haven't really had a discussion about the entire situation since before the move, but I really want you guys there, because you're my family, and-"

"Deke, we'll be there." His grandfather had stopped walking and turned around to face him, his smile soft and more genuine than what he was used to looking at. Their relationship wasn't nearly as strained as it had been the first time around, but it was hard to feel close to people he rarely got to see, even if they were family. "And I don't know what part of the  _ situation _ we need to discuss. You're engaged, and you're clearly very happy, and that's all that matters. Unless he hurts you, and then I make sure he dies swiftly."

He shook his head again quickly, letting himself relax. "No, no, that definitely won't be necessary. I just... I didn't know what your opinion was on...  _ all of it. _ I know that Trevor's family is okay with it, but that isn't the case for everyone, and it's kind of a weird discussion to have when we had aliens and time travel and all of that to deal with, and throwing my sexuality into all of that probably would have just ended the multiverse by making it collapse with unneeded stress, so... It's not a problem, at all?"

"Not for me, not for Jemma, not for  _ anyone _ in our social circle, as far as I'm aware. You're right, though, we haven't gotten to talk about this much, so I'm going to say exactly what I think right now." Fitz shook his head, reaching out to put a gentle hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eye. "I haven't seen you this happy since I first got back, and I don't know exactly what combination of changes brought this on, but I know that he is part of the reason. He's good for you, and you deserve to be happy. So, to answer your unspoken question - yes, I approve of your soon to be husband. We'll be at the engagement party next weekend, and we'll be at the wedding in a few months, and we'll be there if you need us at any point afterwards."

Deke bit his tongue and nodded his head, taking a deep breath before even trying to find his voice. "Okay... yeah, that's... that's what I was avoiding asking outright... you should, uh... you should go. Don't wanna miss naptime, right? And I'll see you guys next weekend."

"Next weekend. We'll be there to celebrate with you. And Alya misses her uncles, so Jemma will probably invite you over for dinner at some point soon, so prepare for that. And make sure Trevor is reminded of the no candy before bed rule."

"I can remind him but I cannot promise that he will follow it. I might have been a bad influence on him when it comes to rules."

A beat, a sigh.  _ "Fine.  _ But make sure it's sugar free jelly beans, this time?"

"I can pass on the request, Bobo."

"I guess that's all I can ask."


End file.
